Among The Amazons
by Gemini Star01
Summary: The Bronze Saints have to get into the island HQ for the Amazons training center...a place loyal to the Sanctuary were any man who appears is killed. Hyoga and Seiya come up with a great idea. Unfortuantely for Shun, it includes make-up and a dress...CH.6
1. Why Me?

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Heh heh heh…Another 'I was bored in school' fic. Geometry is SO dull, and besides all that, I got the first two Saint Seiya un-cut DVDs last night! ^_^ *dances around happily* That, and I read the first volume of Dragon Knights that my friend has. If you've read it, you'll know what bit inspired this…*Laughs* That is the weirdest fantasy manga ever…

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Shun: What do you mean by that? What're you gonna do to me THIS time?!

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GS: Who said it's going to be about you?

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Midori: You're not fooling anybody, author-lady. You ALWAYS write about the cute guy.

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GS: o.o…But…But they're all cute!

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Shun: *whispering to Midori* You can tell me what this is about, can't you?

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Midori: *whispering back* Sorry, Haku's in charge of this one.

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Shun: T.T I'm doomed, aren't I?

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Midori: More likely than not.

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GS: Eh…for a full explanation of my odd muses who're hanging around here, just check out my bio…they're a weird crew. But for now, please enjoy this very interesting fic…Wow, this is the longest author's note I've ever written! I'll make it in celebration of my 31st story! ^_^ Er…This is based in the Sanctuary Saga, but Ikki's here this time! ^_^ My first try writing him…not as a little kid…(flashback story…may have it up soon…) I'm not very good with guys with a temper like that…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Saint Seiya, Shun, nothing along those lines. But any original characters are mine unless otherwise stated. That includes the amazons. (Don't…ask…)

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Among the Amazons

Chapter 1: Why Me?

The annoying thing about being a Saint of Athena was the fact that you always had to deal with one problem or another. And they weren't always fun.

Their current problem involved a small island in the middle of the Atlantic. It was home to a training camp under codename Amazons, very appropriate seeing as that they only taught women. They were skilled and often vicious warriors, fierce fighters willing to go wherever their leader told them.

Normally, this place was not much of a problem. But currently, the five Bronze Saints had two major situations going on with this feminine training ground: 1) their leader had recently sworn allegiance to the Sanctuary, which smelled of foul play right off the bat, and 2) They had part of the Cloth.

Apparently, it was how the new Master established trust, and besides all that, with an army of amazons they had little to no chance of taking it by force. The island was over ten miles long and five across. They had no idea where on the island the piece was. That, and, they were outnumbered 10-to-one, and a man couldn't even set _foot_ on that island without being set upon and torn to shreds.

Not pleasant.

But, seeing as it was the only lead they had, they couldn't just ignore it. So they had only one choice: Sneak in, find the thing, and sneak out.

Not their specialty. Not at all.

"So…anybody have any ideas?" Seiya asked, glancing around.

The others were silent. The Pegasus Saint was perched on one arm of the couch, on which Hyoga and Shun sat. Shiryu was sitting on the end of the fireplace, with Ikki leaning on the wall beside him. Even Tatsumi, standing next to Saori's armchair like some sort of huge bodyguard, kept his mouth shut. They'd been this way for twenty minutes now. "…Guess not, huh?"

"Shut up, Seiya."

"Jeez, sorry…"

"I said 'shut up'."

"Ikki, Seiya, please don't start arguing again…" Shun sighed, leaning his head against the edge of the couch. He closed his eyes, looking distinctly like he was getting a migraine from all of this. "We've just got to think…There has to be someway to get in…"

Hyoga nodded a moment, looking over at the green-haired boy. No one really noticed as he paused and stared at Shun for a few minutes, then as a mischievous look crossed his face.

He turned back and glanced at Seiya. "I think I've got it."

"You do?" Seiya looked profoundly confused. "Whattya mean, Hyoga?"

The blonde Saint motioned for the other to lean down, then cupped his hand around his ear and whispered into it. Seiya sat there a moment, listening, then his eyes widened. He took a glance at the other side of the room, then grinned, nodding.

"You're right…That _could_ work…"

"What are you two talking about?" Ikki asked, looking a bit annoyed. "Do you have a plan or not?"

"We just might." Seiya stood, crossing the room to the straight-backed armchair. "Hey, Saori, you mind if we…?"

Once again, he whispered the rest of it in the young woman's ear. Shiryu, Ikki, Shun and Tatsumi looked profoundly annoyed. Those two were _enjoying _keeping them in the dark.

Saori widened her eyes a bit in surprise. "Well, it's all little unorthodox, to say the least…but you are right, it's the best plan we have."

"_What_ is?" Shiryu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see." Hyoga stood as well, pulling the other boy on the couch up with him. "Come on, Shun."

"Wha-?" Shun faltered as Seiya joined in, and the other two boys lead him from the room. "H-Hey! What's going on?!"

"We just need a few minutes to work out the details." Seiya repeated as Hyoga pushed him out the door. He turned back to the room a moment and winked. "We'll be back."

The door swung shut.

~ * ~ * ~

Shun went paler than usual as he stared at the item Seiya held up for him. Hesitantly, shakily, he whispered two words:

"No…way…"

"Yes, way." Seiya nodded.

"You're not seriously saying that I…?"

"Yup." Hyoga shrugged. "Sorry, pal. It's our best plan, and you're the only real choice."

Shun wanted to scream. This was not only embarrassing, it was insulting! But he didn't do anything…he knew he couldn't fight it. He just glanced half-heartedly at the mirror hanging across from him on the wall.

"Great…" he muttered pitifully. "Why is it always me?"

~ * ~ * ~

"They've been in there a while."

Saori glanced at the clock. Shiryu was right, it'd been almost twenty minutes since Seiya, Hyoga and Shun had gone. She knew what Hyoga and Seiya were planning, yes, but she had to wonder if it would work…and even if it did, if they could get Shun to agree to it…

The door suddenly opened. Seiya entered first, a wide grin splayed across his face. Hyoga was next, hiding slight snickers behind his hand.

"There." the younger of the two grinned. "That aught'a do it."

"Do what?" Ikki snapped, not in the best of moods at all. "What kind of plan were you three working on in there?"

"That." Hyoga said simply, pointing back into the doorway.

Heads turned as the third Saint entered the room. Shiryu nearly fell on the ground out of surprise, Ikki was caught unaware for once in his life, Tatsumi's mouth fell open, and Saori had to hide her giggles behind her hands. Apparently, Hyoga's plan had worked as well as he thought it would…

But that still left poor Shun as the one stuck in the dress.

It was an…interesting picture, to say the least. The outfit was one of Saori's, but was a bit too big for her, nothing fancy. Just simple white with a blue sash, a slightly flared knee-length skirt and long sleeves. Besides that, his hair had been pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck, leaving just enough around his face that it kept the soft feeling to his eyes. The seams of the dress had been pulled in such a way as to give the poor boy the illusion of curves, and the, uh…'chest'…had been stuffed to give him the illusion of the _other_ feminine visible difference.

The result left him looking so different, it was almost as if a strange young girl had wandered into the house. This was intensified by the red-rose blush that painted his cheeks as he turned his head in embarrassment, looking like he wanted to shrink into the walls.

"…Okay, okay…go ahead and laugh…" he muttered quietly, sounding mortified.

Ikki turned to Seiya, his face an odd mixture of rage and confusion. "What the hell is _this_?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Seiya shrugged. "We need to be able to get in, find the piece, and get back out, without winding up on the business end of some crazy lady's spear. If someone goes in this way, it keeps any of us from getting skewered, and you have to admit, he does look the part…"

"Let's get this straight…" Shiryu still looked a bit leery. "Your idea is dressing Shun in drag and sending him to the island alone?"

"You got a better idea?" Hyoga shrugged.

"…No, not really." Shiryu admitted, turning his eyes back to the young boy. Shun was still blushing, looking off to one side so that he was profiled. "You know…With this kind of set-up, he's really rather pretty…"

"Shiryu, not you too!" the green-haired boy flushed even darker.

Ikki looked rather upset. "This…is…ridiculous…" he growled. "There is no way…no _way_…"

"It's okay, Ikki." his little brother muttered quietly, still blushing. "I don't have much of a choice…do I? It'll work out better than most others…Hey, if it goes well enough, maybe we won't have to fight, huh?"

He smiled, looking more comfortable than he really was. "Really…I'll be fine… I'll do it…"

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End Chapter 1

Heh heh…Poor Shun. ^_^ There's gonna be some serious trouble before this is all over… but for now, let's settle for getting him_ settled. Will it really go as well as they hope? Of course not…_

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Shun: …You just wrote this to see me in a dress, didn't you?

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GS: What? I think it's funny! ^_^ Stay tuned!


	2. She'll Do

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*laughs evilly* My, I'm glad everyone likes it…I'm certainly enjoying myself. *more evil laughter* I got a lot of 'poor Shun' comments, though…actually, every review had those two words in it…Eh, oh well. *more evil laughing*

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Midori: Author-lady…cut it out. That's getting really annoying.

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GS: *stops laughing* Aw…Midori, you always spoil my fun!

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Haku: *hanging upside-down from a tree* Hey, if she's not gonna do it, I will! *evil laughter…which sounds distinctly like his father*

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Midori: O.O That's creepy…

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GS: He sounds just like Malik…

Ahem…Will anybody be nice and draw me a picture of Shun in this fic? I mean, either the dress he's stuck in at first or (more preferably) the outfit he gets stuck in here…the same as the Amazons wear. I'm just dying_ to see it!! ^_^_

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Disclaimer: I don't own Shun or any of the original Saint Seiya characters. However, the Amazons, all of them, belong to me and me alone. Got it?

P.S. - If you know the Dragon Knights story I got this idea from, please please PLEASE go read the senseless-humor DK fic my friend Mizuei and I are working on together. It's SO funny, and we haven't gotten any reviews yet…

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Among the Amazons

Chapter 2: She'll Do

Shun sighed, standing in an almost-bare cabin on the tiny little boat. He wasn't enjoying this much at all…he'd never been particularly fond of sailing, he was heading to an island that spelled 'death' for any men, and besides all that, he was stuck in a dress.

He tugged disdainfully at the skirt he was wearing, the same one as before. He sighed again, brushing his hair back from his eyes and turning back to the task of re-packing his one bag.

Most of the stuff he was taking with him was pretty simple…A shirt-and-jeans outfit that could keep up his illusion, female socks and tennis shoes, a hair brush, two books from the Foundation's extensive library, the necessary, um…'undergarments' needed to complete the disguise…ugh…

Underneath the visible things were a few that needed to remain hidden. A picture of Ikki and the others back home…the Nebula Chain, separate from his Cloth so that he could use them if needed be…and a small, two-way radio that Saori insisted he take with him, to keep him in contact with the home base.

There was a knock on his cabin door. "Miss?" the captain called. Shun winced at the title…Oh well, better get used to it…

"Um…yes?" he called in the slightly higher-pitched voice he'd practiced earlier.

"We've arrived on the jetty on the island's outskirts…as you know, this is as close as we can take you."

"Yes, I understand…I'm coming." he pulled the bag over his shoulder, smoothed out the skirt, and crossed to open the door.

The captain was a middle-aged man hired by the Grande Foundation. Yes, he knew of Sienna and her Saints, of the Gold Cloth and the problems with Sanctuary, and of the rules on Amazon Island. However, he did not know that Shun was not, in fact, a girl.

He lead 'her' across the deck and to the gangplank, which had been lowered down onto the rocks. Shun stepped off the boat to the slippery shore, sliding a bit but regaining his balance in an instant.

The captain tipped his hat. "Good luck, ma'am."

He nodded in farewell, starting for the sandy shore. He stepped off and sandaled feet sunk a few inches into the sand. He sighed, and began for woods that grew there on the edge.

He hadn't gotten even three feet from the trees before the bushes in front of them began to rustle. Seconds later found him at the edge of three sharply-pointed arrows, held taunt on oaken bows by two brunets and a blonde. All three had tanned skin and were dressed in the same outfit: a short tunic that ended just above their knees, sandals securely tied all the way up their calves, and a small plate of dark bronze armor covering their left shoulders.

"Halt." the tall, green-eyed blonde in the middle ordered, obviously the oldest, and the leader. Shun stopped, slipping the bag off his shoulder and holding his hands up to show that he carried no weapons.

"…Are you Amazons, then?" he asked, making deafly sure his voice was as high as it needed be. 

"We're the ones asking questions here!" the brunet snapped, but the larger blonde held her back.

The smaller blonde crossed up to Shun, green eyes glaring seriously. She frowned, looking him up and down. He had to gulp…If they saw through his disguise, he was as good as dead. 

"You're awfully scrawny." Ouch. Oh well… "Yes, we are the Amazons. What do you want here?"

"To…To train…" he gulped out, almost wanting to take a step back out partially out of acting and partially of pure nervousness.

"Train?!" the brunet nearly burst out laughing. "_You_?! Train _here_?!"

"Anna…" the older blonde chastised, and she fell silent. She now approached Shun, blues eyes focused on his. She looked him quietly up and down, then turned on her heel and motioned for him to follow.

"Come with me." she ordered. "The Mistress Hippolyta has ordered to all females wishing to train here be brought to her council. There will be a test to determine your worth."

Shun nodded in understanding, picked his bag up from the sand, and followed after the three Amazons.

~ * ~ * ~

'Mistress Hippolyta' was a title, the same as the Sanctuary's Master or Pope. But it was also the leader's name, officially. Each one was of the exact same bloodline…the Amazons occasionally brought in foreign dignitaries and the occasional good-looking shipwreck victim…and all were determined when they were born as their future leader. As such, each was named Hippolyta, and each was trained separately from the others.

This Hippolyta was technically Hippolyta XXI, but that's besides the point. She was at least 30 and somewhere around 5'10" inches tall. Her hair was a gleaming black, long and pulled back in a dignified bun and streaked unnaturally with white. Her skin was very pale, and her eyes were a dark, glaring purple. She was dressed in full armor, carrying a large shield in one hand, with a long sword strapped to her waist.

She leveled him with a purple-eyed glare, looking almost like a goddess from one of the old myths. But she was more like Persephone than Athena.

"And who…" she began in a voice just barely higher than a whisper, deep and rich with no accent and confidence to spare. "…Is this, who approaches the Amazon Council?"

"I am An…um…" Shun's mind race. He had to think of a feminine name, and _not_ Andromeda…It would be suspicious. "An…Andrea…"

The woman raised her eyebrow. "Aun-dria?" she pronounced carefully.

"Yes, yes ma'am." he nodded, anxiously. Good enough. "I am Andrea. My origins lie in Japan, and in a small island in the Pacific Ocean." Not technically a lie…and close enough to the truth that he could keep to the story without problems. "I came here for more…intense…training."

"I see…" Hippolyta looked him up and down. "And what drives you to seek the Amazon's training?"

"I wish to further the experience I gained while training on the island, Miss." eh…a bit shaky, but good enough.

Hippolyta smiled a bit, motioning to one of the Amazons standing beside her. She stepped forward, carrying a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows over her shoulder. Almost instantly, the group of about 20 women gathered around them stepped far back, as though to give the newcomer room. Shun looked around, tensing automatically.

Hippolyta nodded at the girl. She was about 20 years old, with long, brown hair, and a piercingly dark glare. "Tania here is our best archer. If you can dodge her arrows, you will be accepted here."

Shun couldn't help but gulp. "And…And if I don't?" he asked, his voice squeaking more out of worry than of his fake tempo.

The Mistress grinned. "Then you die."

Shun gulped and the test began.

Tania pulled an arrow back, snapping it forward. Shun leapt back, only to be met by another one. He silently held his breath as he flipped, jumped, spun and dodged the best he could, keeping an eye both on the arrows that were being fired at him, and the ones that rebounded off the gathered Amazon's shields.

After about eight separate shots, he slid on a slick spot and lost a few hairs to a close shave. Around number eleven, he was starting to get fatigued, and they were coming faster than ever. This 'Tania' person was _definitely_ an archer of galactic proportions.

Four shots later, he could hardly see. He was dizzy, he was tired, and…oh, damn that one was heading right for him…

By pure stroke of luck, he tripped over his own feet at the moment the last arrow was fired. He hit the ground, just as the last arrow was fired. It bounced off the bronze shields and jammed into a crack in the ceiling.

A chorus of cheers and clapping echoed through the hall. Shun carefully pulled himself up, hoping his clumsiness didn't give him away, as Tania came down with her empty quiver and smiled at him.

"You're pretty good, girl." she winked. "The last ten training got skewered within the first five shots."

"Um…thanks, I guess…" Shun gulped in a bit of fear.

Tania put an arm around his shoulders like a sister would, looking up at Hippolyta. "Well, Mistress?" she asked politely. "Has miss…Andrea…passed our tests?"

The tall lady gave a cold smile, nodding once without emotion. "She'll do." she whispered. "She'll do."

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End Chapter 2.

Heh heh…I had two choices for Shun's fake name whilst on the island. Andrea, which is the name of a good (but kinda creepy) friend of mine, and then one that would probably get Seiya rolling in the aisles…Shina. ^_^ Heh…I think I picked the right one. As for the arrow-scene test…It was the best I could think of, and I still think it came out a bit shaky…

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NEXT TIME: Okay, Shun's been accepted. But things go wrong from the start when he finds out he's got a…roommate?! With some serious attitude…poor guy…


	3. Roommate

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GS: This took longer than usual, because for a full week after I posted last, I couldn't receive any of my reviews due to the FF.Net information back-up. But it's all cured now, and I gotta say, I'm relieved everyone's…enjoying this.

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Midori: Questions to answer, author-lady.

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GS: I'm gettin' to that…Okay, first of all, about the 'Why Shun?' and not Shiryu or even Seiya, it's because I honestly don't think Seiya could pull it off, and Shiryu's a bit bulkily-set to pass as a girl, you know what I mean? Shun's very thin, with small shoulders, so obviously pulling it off would be much easier for him. Not to mention, from the profile I've seriously thought he could pass for Shaina if he wanted to. But it all basically boils down to 'Because I wanted to, and I'm the author, that's why.' ^_^ Kay?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Shun or anything else related to Saint Seiya. However, all the Amazons, their culture, and especially Meilu, belong to me and me alone. You got that?

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Among The Amazons

Chapter 3: Roommate

"This way."

Shun had to jog a bit to keep up with Tania. She was somewhere around 20 years old, and about a head and a half taller than he was, with longer legs. And besides all that, he was still not used to moving in this stupid skirt.

"This is the place." she motioned to a small cabin just in front of them. "It's not much, but it's comfortable enough."

She opened the door, lighting a candle against the impending twilight. It was kind of barren, with a table for eating, a separate room that he assumed was the bathroom, two chair and two neatly made beds.

Tania dropped his suitcase onto the bed on the right, glancing over at the other with a chuckle. "She's not gonna be to happy about this…"

"Who?" Shun asked, setting down his bag.

"Your roommate." Shun dropped the bag, rather than setting it down.

"Roommate?!" he squeaked. 

"Of course." Tania lifted an eyebrow. "There's limited space on this island, and quite a lot of girls to train. You'll be paired with your roommate for just about everything…meals, training, living quarters…but don't worry. She's been here quite a while, she'll show you the ropes."

"Speaking of which…" she glanced out the window, towards the sundial. "She should be nearly finished with high-ropes course. I'll go break the news to her…make yourself at home."

With that, she left.

Shun stared at the exit a moment, then sighed and sat on the bed. _This_ was gonna complicate things a bit

He dug into his bag, pulling out the photograph from the very bottom. He smiled a bit as he held it to the light, laughing under his breath…This picture was from several _years_ back, before any of them knew who they were or what they would become. He wasn't quite sure who had taken the picture, or why. All he knew is that he'd come across it in a scrapbook once and liked it enough to take it.

There they were, a bunch of ready-and-waiting, seven-to-nine year old kids. Smack dab in the middle was Seiya, being pinned to the ground by Hyoga and not enjoying a minute of it. The blonde, on the other hand, seamed to enjoy it quite a lot. Shiryu was knelling next to them on the left, trying to mediate through his laughter. And to the right stood Ikki, taller than all of them and looking vaguely amused, a certain little green-haired boy peaking nervously out from behind him.

His thoughts were suddenly broken by a loud, angry voice from the outside. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!"

He tucked the picture back into his bag, pushed the skirt down a bit and went to the open door. He peaked out to find Tania facing down a raging girl that he assumed was his new roommate.

She was about his height…maybe a bit taller, closer to Hyoga's or Shiryu's, but not as large as his brother. Her hair was long and dark brown, streaked unnaturally with a dark blue-purple, and pulled back into a long, straight, ponytail. Her eyes were dark green, almost matching the forest around them, and her skin was quite pale. She was dressed in the same uniform as the other Amazons…the same short skirt that reached their knees, sleeveless tunic-like collar, tied sandals and a belt around the waist. He now noticed that the belts were different colors…Hippolyta's had been gold, Tania's was green…this girl's was purple, like the streaks.

"Roommate?! What do you mean, roommate?!" she screeched.

"Take it easy, Meilu." Tania raised her hands. "You knew when you moved out on your own it wouldn't be just you for long. You're too young."

"But…But…"

"This 'Andrea' girl seams rather nice, if a bit shy. You two should work very nicely together." Tania clapped the smaller girl on the shoulder, turning away. "Just play nice, alright? You'll be with each other a long…long…time."

She turned and left back down the trail. The girl with the two-toned hair took in a deep, almost painful-sounding breath, spun on her heels and marched towards the cabin.

Shun quickly redirected his gaze to his bag, as though he was looking for something. The girl came bursting in and narrowed him with an icy glare. "So, you're the new girl, eh?" she sniffed sourly. "What's your name?"

"Andrea." he whispered quietly, smoothing the skirt down nervously. He looked up with what he hoped was a gentle smile. "You are…my roommate?"

"Looks like it." she muttered, taking a seat on her bed. She crossed her legs, sitting Indian-style and leaning against the wall. "The name's Meilu. Nice to meet'cha."

Shun sighed just a little. Okay…intro over. Info time.

"Um…so have you been here long?" he asked quietly, as though making conversation.

"Most of my life, yeah." Meilu shrugged. "As long as I can remember…I think my mother was one, but I'm not certain…"

"How can you not be certain?" Shun asked, curious.

"None of your business." Meilu snapped, and he shrank back a bit. She leaned back again, calm once more. "Anyways…I've been here as long as I can remember, so it doesn't really matter where I came from. I know this place like the back of my hand."

"I see…" Shun looked out the window, thinking quietly. "Anyplace I should look at early-on?"

"You'll see most of it in prelim training." Meilu waved a hand nonchalantly. She stood, crossing to lean over his bed and point out the window, up and down the two trails. "Rope courses mostly up that hill…archery range up on the right…The hot springs are down that way, whenever you wanna take a bath."

Shun gagged at that last comment. _That_ was something they hadn't thought about. There were going to be suspicions if he never took a bath during his time here…oh, damn…

"But there are a few places you can _never_ go, at least not alone." Meilu's voice brought him back to paying attention. Forbidden places? Definite hiding spots for the Gold Cloth.

"Where's that?" he asked, rising his voice a bit higher.

"See that mountain over there?" Meilu pointed to the direct center of the island, where a huge mountain towered over the surrounding area. "That's the most sacred place on the island. Even set foot there, without being a part of Hippolyta's guard, and you're dead…period, the end."

She stood, crossing to dig into a large trunk that stood at the end of her bed. "The only other place to avoid is the caves on North Eastern shore…In the cliffs." she dug deeper into the trunk, loosing her consintration, then resumed. "It's a maze…a training mission. But only the really experienced Amazons go in there, and even then we never see some of them again…"

She stood, carrying a large, white bath towel. "I'm headin' for the baths before sundown." she called over her shoulder. "Your uniforms should be in that trunk…put all your stuff in there too. Other than that, make yourself at home."

With that, she was gone.

Shun waited for about ten minutes, until he was sure she was far gone and there was no one else coming. Then he reached into his bag and pulled out the small, black radio, turning it on quietly.

"…Saori-san?" he whispered into it. "Guys? This is Shun. Can you hear me?"

There was a little bit of static, then a familiar response. "Loud and clear. How's it goin', Shun?"

The green-haired boy smiled just a little. Seiya. And probably the others, too, all gathered around. "It's okay so far." he sighed, lying out on the bed. "But there's a bit of a compication…"

"What kind of complication?" Saori asked, voice even but laced with worry.

"…I've got a roommate."

"WHAT?!" He pulled the radio a little bit away as Ikki, Seiya, and Hyoga projected their surprise in an increasingly loud voice.

"What do you mean, roommate?!" Ikki exclaimed, sounding shocked.

"Apparently, it's a rule here…" Shun murmured. "The early trainees have partners that they're supposed to do just about everything with…training, eating, and sharing living space."

"This could be a problem." Shiryu muttered in the background.

"It's something we couldn't help." Saori sighed. "The best plan is to get this done as fast as possible, and get you out of there before your roommate learns anything. Speaking of which, do you have any idea where they might have hidden the piece of the Cloth?"

Shun sighed, then very calmly began his report…

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TBC…


	4. Surprise

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GS: GAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! (bangs head on keyboard multiple times) THIS REALLY SUCKS!!!

Midori: --'…Um…Author-lady's having computer problems…A virus broke into the internet and infected the whole machine…her editor-mama had to erase the whole OS, and they still couldn't get it to hook onto the internet…

GS: ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!

Haku: And now, for your regularly scheduled author's note:

GS: Gr…Don't worry, folks…I'm not gonna have one of the Amazons go for Shun. I don't like that kinda thing, pairing an OC with one of the core characters…way too cliché. Nah… Meilu's basically a roommate, a bit of a hassle, and a friend…nothin' else.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: If you would like to see the picture I drew of Shun in this fic, include your e-mail address in your review. I'm nearly finished with it, and will send out the pictures ASAP.

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything original to St. Seiya. But I do own the Amazons, and Meilu.

Among the Amazons

Chapter 4: Surprise

The light, reedy tune of a brass trumpet echoed throughout the island, responded by several more that increased the song to a raging symphony.

Shun gave a light moan in protest and buried his face in the pillow. It felt like he had only just gotten to sleep…a lot of adjusting had to be made for him to be able to rest. And what was Saori doing playing that music at this time of day…?

There was suddenly a sharp yank on his hair that made him sit up with a yelp. Meilu was standing there, looking down at him smartly. "Up and at'em, sleeping beauty. We've got training this morning."

Shun nearly jumped a foot when he remembered where he was, but he restrained in favor of pulling the blankets over his torso, in case she could notice anything… missing.

Meilu raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to cover up, you know." she mentioned. "We're all girls here."

"Yes…um, yes…" Shun shifted his disguise just enough to hide it, and lowered the blanket. "It's just a…um, a reflex. I used to live with my…brother, in an orphanage. You never knew when a man would sneak up on you…"

Meilu nodded sympathetically. Then the empathy disappeared and was replaced by a serious glare. "Here." she said, tossing him the uniform (his with a dark pink belt, ironically enough) "Get dressed. Now. We've gotta get going."

"Going…where?" he asked, dazed, carefully pulling the tunic on so as not to reveal himself.

"_Training_, duh!" the girl snapped, tossing him a lump of bread. "Eat up quick, we're already running a little behind."

Shun did as he was told, swallowing the bread quickly as he pulled on his sandals. He jumped to his feet and headed out the door after his 'roommate', who was waiting impatiently.

"So…uh, where're we going?" he gulped down the rest of his breakfast.

"The ropes course." Meilu jutted her head in down the path. "Low-level to start out with. Come on, let's go."

'Ropes Course'? Just what did that mean?

Shun didn't have very long to wonder, following after Meilu slowly. He glanced around a moment, gazing between the trees and rocks for any sign of the entrance to the cave-maze Meilu had mentioned the night before. But, judging by the way the sun was rising, they were heading South, not North, so he wouldn't be able to discern any entrances while in this area.

He let out a bit of a yelp as Meilu pulled at his hair again. "Hey, twerp. Pay attention." she scolded, glaring a bit, then pointed behind her again. "See that? This is the Low-Level Ropes Course."

Shun looked. They had come out of the trees into a large clearing, filled with moving, rotating wooden objects. Some of it looked vaguely familiar, from old movies about boot camp and such, but most of it was rather unfamiliar. And unfriendly. And just a little inauspicious.

"Relax." Meilu flicked her hair back, rubbing her hands together. "It's not has hard as it looks."

She placed her feet on the edge of the starting line, leaning down momentarily to check the ties on her sandals. Then she took a steady mark position, waited a few seconds, and took off.

Shun watched as, with an impressive rate of speed and agility, she jumped over a deep pit, dodged several flat-tipped 'spears' with some impressive acrobatics, scaled a forty-foot-high wall in a matter of seconds, swung like Tarzan from one rope to the next, and leapt methodically through three moving, swinging loops to end her run.

Shun applauded a bit, more than a little impressed. He hadn't seen moves like that since his initial training for Sainthood. Meilu wasn't as good as say, June had been, but June was a Saint. For a solider, even a specially-trained Amazon warrior, Meilu wasn't too shabby.

"Easy, see?" Meilu brushed her bangs back. "Now your turn. And don't worry if you don't do so well…everyone has to start somewhere."

Shun sighed, brushing his hands together. "Okay…" he muttered to himself, taking the place. "No need to show off and blow my cover…but no need to get hurt, either…"

"On your mark…" Meilu said in a corny voice, obviously making fun of herself. "Get set…Go!"

Shun started forward, using the leverage of the ground to leap across the pit. His landing was a little shakier than he would have liked, but he couldn't concentrate on that.

Next came the spears. He'd counted, there were six of them fired rapid-pace. He jumped over the first, landing on his hands to cartwheel over the next. The last four were a pattern of slide-jump-_leap_-slide and he was clear.

Meilu raised an eyebrow, watching the new girl as she scaled the wall in a matter of seconds. This Andrea was good…real good. She'd already made it through half the course, and she'd only been at it for two minutes.

Three minutes later, the green-haired trainee was through, breathing heavily, but not too bad. Meilu came up to her, a slight smirk on her face.

"Not bad, kiddo, not bad." she amended. "But we've still got another nine runs before we can move on."

**. . . . . .**

Shun sighed, plopping face-down onto the bed. It felt vaguely like he was back on Andromeda Island, in the middle of his training. Only worse. Even with his muscles trained as a Saint, he was exhausted. But not in enough pain to pass out on contact with the pillow, which was to his disadvantage.

He sighed, contemplating what had happened. After the Ropes Course exercise, there'd been archery (a practiced tradition of the Amazons, but he'd never held a bow before), javelins (another practiced art, sad to say) cross-country running, and more obstacle courses, each the same level as the ones the soldiers trained in at Sanctuary. One at a time, none of these exercises were so bad. But these came all at once, without so much as a lunch break.

If it every day was like this, it could take him weeks to search for the piece of the Gold cloth. If he didn't get found out and skewered before then.

They'd been given dinner as soon as they'd finished, but he was too tired to eat. The bread, cheese, and dried meat lay on a plate next to his bed, a bottle of water beside them.

Meilu had already eaten and left for some sort of self-meditation, patting him encouragingly on the back as she exited. "First day's the hardest."

He wanted to believe her…really, he did.

It took him fifteen minutes to regain his breath, lying there and not moving. If he passed out, it was only for a few seconds and it didn't make him feel any better. But after thirty minutes of lying there, he had regained his senses enough not only to sit up, but also to realize that he was not only hot and sweaty from the training, but also caked with dirt, especially his hair.

He groaned. Feminine as it was, once the day was done, he truly hated being dirty. Wounds and battle-scars he could deal with. This he could not. And he _was_ supposed to be hiding as a woman, after all…

He dug out the towel he'd been provided with from the trunk, and very shyly headed in the direction of the hot springs.

Said springs were situated on a small, grassy hill, liberally sprinkled amongst the trees that grew there. The larger ones were out in a sort of commons, where several Amazons bathed and relaxed after a long day. Some of the women here were children… girls as young as six or seven, already dressed in the tunic-like uniform and laughing with the adults.

Shun, to his great relief, found a small, cozy, secluded spring several meters away from the others. It was not as warm nor as clean as the others, but it was good enough, and from the looks of things, the others didn't even know it was there. It was perfect.

After quickly examining the area to make sure non of the women were coming his way, he very quickly undressed and wrapped the towel around his torso. After a moment, he sank into the water, letting the heat wash over him.

_"Oh…thank goodness."_ his mind exclaimed, feeling the boiling water gently wash the dirt from his skin.

He lifted one arm out of the water and ran the other hand over it, gently scrubbing the filth and grim away. He repeated this a few times on the rest of his limbs, both above and below the water. Then he sank down and let his hair soak through.

"Andrea?"

He shot upwards in surprise, pulling the towel a little further around him. Then he felt a heated red blush rise into his cheeks.

Meilu was standing in front of him, her hair pulled back in a pony tail that fell over her shoulder. Her clothes were folded over her arm, and she was wrapped in a towel, ready for a bath.

"Meilu!" Shun gasped, back under the cloudy water just enough to hide the lack of leverage. "Um…Hey. Didn't expect to see you here."

"Ditto." the sat on the edge of the pool, sliding easily into the water. "Usually I'm the only one who comes to this one. Nice and private, good place to think…"

Shun glanced away for modesty's sake, not to mention his cover, as she pulled her cover off and sank into the hot steam. He gulped a few times and shifted nervously, hoping that his blush didn't give him away.

Meilu sighed, ducking her hair into the water for a moment, then coming up to sit calmly on the edge of the rock. "Nice, isn't it?" she said with a grin. "Perfect after a good training day."

"Y-Yeah…" Shun gulped, keeping his eyes towards the water.

Meilu glanced his way. "You don't have to be shy, you know." she said, shamelessly lying back. "Like I said this morning, we're all ladies here, right?"

"Yes…yes, you're right." Shun made sure his voice was high enough. "I'm just a little…insecure around strangers, that's all. I'll be a bit more comfortable…later."

"Understandable, I suppose." Meilu sniffed. She lifted an arm and rubbed water over it, then spoke again. "Listen, Andi…mind if I call you that?" he shook his head. "Okay then, Andi…I think you and I got off on the wrong foot."

He glanced down at the smoky water once again, trying to keep modesty at his highest priority. _"This was the worst idea I ever had."_ he thought with a gulp. _"And if I ever get back to Japan, I am so gonna get back at Seiya and Hyoga…"_

"I didn't mean to be so snappish before. It wasn't about you." Meilu sighed, bringing him back to reality. "I was just…a bit annoyed, that's all. I knew I was gonna have to share a room sooner or later…but I've been sharing a room with the bratty little mini-tots my whole life. ALL of them. It sucked."

"I can…imagine."

"Well…If you lived at an orphanage, I suppose you could." Meilu said off-hand, glancing over at him again. "Probably better than this dump, anyway…you wouldn't believe the crap they put the little ones through as initial training."

She sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. "I don't really have any idea why anyone would come to this freakin' place."

Shun gave her a curious look, feeling a bit empathetic. She seamed…kinda lonely, all things considered, even if she did have the whole tough-girl tomboy act running for her…

Then he realized that she had looked up at him. And was currently staring with at him with her mouth hanging open, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

And then he realized that, in his absent-minded train of thought, he had allowed part of the towel to come open. And it was showing her a chest that was defiantly _not_ female…

****

TBC…

Haku: evil laughter

GS: Oh sure, YOU can laugh evilly! I'M the one who gets the death threats over stuff like this! Do you know what the readers are gonna DO to me?!

Shun: Forget that!! What're the crazy ladies gonna do to me_?!_

Haku: Heh heh heh…

GS: T.T Meanie…

Midori: ahem Remember, if you want a picture of the green-haired guy in the dress, just put your e-mail in your review and author-lady'll send out the pics before she updates next…


	5. Deals

****

GS: Iowa…Iowa…Osceola, Iowa. It wasn't a bad place at all, but it wasn't exactly inspiring. Or internet-capable. I just spent nine days there for a mission trip. I got about…Three pages written. Yup, yup. And all for different stories. Which is why this particular chapter is so late. Bleh bleh bleh.

Midori: (asleep, after nine days of trying to get me to write and being unsuccessful) Mm…Stupid mid-western climate…too wet…Fire on Main street…

GS: --;…No offence to anyone who lives in the Midwest.

If you still haven't received the picture of Shun in a dress…just e-mail me at geministar01 hotmail . com. (Remember to remove the spaces) with the subject 'St. Seiya' _and I'll get back to you, one way or another, seeing as I've been a bit…tired lately, and may not have gotten them all out…_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything belong to Saint Seiya. But Meilu and the other Amazons all belong to me.

Among the Amazons

Chapter 5: Deals

"Holy Athena…"

Meilu's eyes were wide in shock as Shun tried desperately to hide the truth. His cheeks turned dark red and his mind raced in panic. _"Oh hell, now what?! I can't exactly run for it, we're thousands of miles from the mainland, and it's not like…"_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a short white uniform, with a pink belt, was tossed as his head. He looked at it, then up at Meilu, who had climbed out of the pool with her towel wrapped tightly around her.

"Get dressed." she hissed. "It's not safe to talk here. Meet me back at the house."

With that, she promptly snatched up her clothes and disappeared into the woods.

Shun blinked a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened. Then he contemplated weather to run for it and hope she didn't come after him, or do what she said and hope she wasn't planning some sort of an ambush. Common sense told him to run for it, but if she really was going to turn him in, why wait until they were back at the room…?

Aw, hell.

Ten minutes later found him trudging back up the dirt path in near-darkness. There was a light on in the cabin, a single lit lamp in the window. He stretched out his senses, just in case, but felt only Meilu's cosmos inside the wooden building. It was just her…

He pushed opened the door hesitantly, sticking his head in first. When he did, Meilu suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders an yanked him inside, pulling him against the wall and covering his mouth with her hand. His mind panicked and he nearly reached out for the Chains still lying dormant in his bag, but the he heard her whisper. "Shh…"

She let go, first to close the door, then shifting to the window to peer out. "Did anyone follow you?"

"Wha…?" Shun blinked. Then decided to tell the truth. "No, no one. I think they're all still at the baths."

"Good." Meilu sighed, pulling a long, wooden match out of the box and striking it against the wall. She lit a few more candles, and soon the room was filled with an eerie, flickering light.

She turned to him, a very serious look in her eyes. "I thought there was something strange about you."

He gulped. She sat down on her bed, leaning against the wall. "So…" she continued to glare at him. "What's your name, kid?"

"M-My name?" he gulped, then started over. "It's…An-Andrea…"

"No, no. Not that fake name." she pressed. "Your _real _name. What is it? Andrew? Antonio?"

Damn. He sat on his own bed, glancing to the side. "It's Shun."

"Shun?" she raised her eyebrow a bit in slight disbelief. He nodded slowly, and she seamed content. "Okay then…Shun." she sighed. "So…This explains a lot."

Shun gulped, shifting a moment. Hadn't even been there three days and he'd already gotten caught…Maybe he could called Seiya and the others before she

"Look, don't be so stiff. I ain't gonna report it…" she said coyly. He looked up, a bit surprised, to find her perfectly serious. "Just promise me one thing…When you leave, take me with you."

Shun gaped at her a moment. "Uh…excuse me? What?"

Meilu leveled an emerald-eyed glare at him. "A man wouldn't come here simply to 'train'." she said coyly. "It's obvious you want something here, and once you get it, you're gonna leave…right?"

"Uh…" Shun was still a bit taken about, but he nodded blankly.

"When you leave here, I want you to take me with you." Meilu said, determination flashing in her eyes.

Shun blinked twice before speaking again. "Um…Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've been stuck on this island my entire life." she said, obviously annoyed at the thought. "We aren't allowed to leave unless we're on official business. But I didn't have a choice, and I'm sick of it. I want _out._"

She leaned forward to glare at him sourly. "So do we have an agreement? I keep your secret, you get me out. Deal?"

She held out her hand pointedly. Shun looked at it a moment, contemplating his options, then sighed and shook on it. "Deal."

"Good." Meilu leaned back against her pillow, which she'd leaned up against the wall. There was silence a moment, then she spoke again. "So…How 'bout some explanations, hm? Like, why pick a name like 'Andrea'? It's not exactly similar to your own…"

"Actually, it is." Shun grinned a bit. No reason to keep secrets now. "It's part of my title…Shun of Andromeda."

Meilu raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "As in _Saint_ of Andromeda?" he nodded. "Yeah right. And I'm Hippolyta's heir."

"I'm serious."

"A wimp like you?" Meilu smirked. "Prove it."

Shun shook his head a moment, glanced out the window, and reached slowly into his bag. After feeling around a moment, he pulled out a long, gleaming silver chain, ending in a sharp triangle on one end, a harmless-looking circle on the other.

He held it out to Meilu, who glanced at it, unimpressed. At least until the circle end shot out of his grip of its own accord and launched itself at her. She let out a short shriek of surprise and ducked, as it flew over her shoulder and into the wall harmlessly.

"That was not funny!" she insisted, sitting back up as the limp chain slithered back up into his hands. "What is that thing, anyway?"

"It's called the Nebula Chain." he said with a wink, putting it away. "It's the trademark move of the Andromeda Bronze Saint, seperated from the Cloth for this particular assignment."

Meilu looked down at the Chain, then back up at him. "Okay then, I'll buy that." she said slowly. "But wait a sec…The Saints of Athena are loyal to Sanctuary, aren't they? Then what are _you_ doing here? Sanctuary is one of our closest allies…"

"That's just the problem." Shun sighed. He contemplated a moment, whether to tell her or not, but after a short while decided on the former. "You don't know much about what's actually going on _inside_ Sanctuary, do you?"

Meilu shook her head. Shun sighed again, and dropped his voice low, motioning for her to get a bit closer. "Listen…You really shouldn't tell anybody around here about this, but the thing is…There's something really wrong in Sanctuary."

Meilu glanced into the corners, as though expecting something there, then leaned in a bit more. "Like what?"

"We're not quite sure." he whispered. "But it's got something to do with the new Pope. He's crazy, trying to use Sanctuary to take over the world. And he's killing an awful lot of Bronze Saints in the process."

"Like you."

"Like me." he agreed. "An my older brother, and my friends. We're the only ones who seam to know something's up, so we're doing everything we can about it. And that includes getting the Gold Saint Sagittarius Cloth back, and out of the Pope's hands."

"And that's what you're here for?" Meilu asked, obviously a bit confused as she pulled back.

"Something like that." Shun sighed. "It's split into parts. We've got one of them…the Pope has the rest. But we think he's hidden a piece here on the Island, which is why…"

"…You're dressing in drag." Meilu finished smugly, and he blushed. She leaned back on the pillow again, staring at the ceiling in thought. "You know…come to think of it, the last time the contacts from Sanctuary arrived, they did seam to have something with them…I think they gave it to Mistress Hippolyta."

"Do you know where she'd put it?" he asked quietly.

"No…" Meilu said slowly, then sat up with a sly grin. "But I know where we can look…"

****

TBC…

****

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay. Explanation chapter. Next time'll be better on the humor side. Oh, and the corny line Shun used with the take over the world thing? Not my fault. That's really what they say in this storyline, so I might as well go with it.

NEXT TIME: Just as things seam to be going okay, Amazon Isle has a few unexpected visitors…Namely Shaina and Marin of the Sanctuary! Problem herein…all Amazons must report for inspection. But how can Shun pull that off without blowing his cover?

P.S. - If anyone's interested in what's happening to Seiya and the others at this point, please put some ideas in the reviews and I may to a side-chapter just for kicks.

Ciao,

GS


	6. Unexpected Visitors

I must point something out so certain people will stop bothering me about it: I DON'T LIKE SEIYA/SHAINA PAIRINGS. I'm not particularly fond of Seiya at all, even if he IS the main character, and Shaina scares me. There will not be any real 'pairings' in this fic, and that means _none_. Sorry, but no.

Oh, and the obstacle course thing is a little sloppy. It's really something you'd have to watch to understand, sorry 'bout that.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Shun, Shaina, Marin, or anything related to Saint Seiya. However, I own the Amazons, their culture, Meilu and Hippolyta. So there.

****

Among The Amazons

Chapter 6: Unexpected Visitors

"Okay then." Meilu whispered, blocking one of Shun's punches with her right arm. "Saturdays are our rest-days. We'll get the day off for mediation and self-training, so that'll be the perfect time to explore the caves."

Shun slid back, giving a nearly unnoticeable nod, and blocked a kick and two punches from his partner. They were sparring, or at least pretending too, in a large group of several pairs, within a mini-stadium on the Eastern side of the Island. It was Thursday, Shun's fifth day on the Isle, about mid-afternoon. Not the best place for a little chat, but with all this noise it was doubtful anyone could hear them.

Meilu dodged one of his blows, ducking lower to punch him in the stomach. "You sure they'll be hiding your armor in there?" she asked in a low whisper.

"It's pretty likely." he gasped, coughing a bit, then recovering to catch her on the shoulder. "I can only think of one other place, and this is of less risk."

Meilu stumbled, recovering easily after a moment. "Fine then. So we go in two days…"

She was suddenly cut off by the ringing of a large bell. Everyone in the stadium stopped moving and looked upwards, as Hippolyta's guards appeared on the platform high above, followed by Hippolyta herself.

"Here ye, all!" one of the guards shouted. "An announcement from Our Queen, Hippolyta XXI, pertaining to our island home!"

The Queen stepped forward, today dressed in a long, flowing, navy-blue robe, trimmed with gold and with a long tail held off the ground by one of the younger trainees. She gazed around them briefly, her dark eyes drifting to focus on select pairs in turn.

"My sisters!" she proclaimed, stretching out her hands. "I have great news! I have received word from our Lord Pope, of the Sanctuary! Tomorrow's morn brings our contacts from the Blessed Sanctuary of Athena, here once again to judge our strength and worthiness in combat!"

This was greeted by a loud roar of cheers and war-whoops from the collected Amazons. A few of them stomped the feet, leaping into the air. Shun slid back a bit from Meilu as she let out a cry worthy enough to shatter most panes of glass.

Hippolyta raised her hands again and the shouting stopped. "You know as well as I do, my sisters, that our regular visits have made the contacts a bit…partial to us. But that should not deter us from proving our worth. So when the Honored Aquila Marin and Ophiuchus Shaina arrive at our shores, be sure to present them with the very best we can offer!"

The Amazons cheered loudly again, all but Shun. The green-haired saint had gone readily pale and was trying to slip away, unnoticed by all but Meilu. The amazon raised an eyebrow and followed her roommate away from the coliseum.

"Hey, what's up?" she called after him, once they were far enough away. "What're you getting so worked up about?"

Shun turned back, checking quickly with all his senses to make sure no one was around them. Then he leaned forward, motioning her to get closer so she could hear.

"It's about the visitors from Sanctuary…" he said quietly. "They…They know who I am…"

"You _know_ them?!" Meilu squeaked.

"Sort've." Shun straightened, trying to recall. "One of my friends, my teammates, trained at the Sanctuary. Marin was his teacher. And Shaina, I don't know what kind of grudge she has against him, but she's been one of our worst enemies for ages."

"And they've both seen your face." Meilu said blankly. "They both could recognize you as the Andromeda Saint. The _male_ Andromeda Saint."

"Yes." Shun nodded. "And if they do, I'm literally dead meat, aren't I?"

"Yup."

There was silence between them a moment. Meilu suddenly grabbed him by the arm. "Come with me."

He didn't have much choice, she literally dragged him back to their small cabin. And she released him so suddenly that he fell over and landed flat on his back in the middle of his bed.

When he sat back up, Meilu was digging through the many things under her own bunk and muttering to him as she did:

"Kana…she was one of the older amazons, disappeared on an outside mission months ago…Kana brought this to me. She'd do things like that, going out for supplies and bringing us younger ones small presents. We had to keep 'em all hidden from Mistress Hippolyta, of course, since they're mostly 'forbiden developments of man'. But she brought this for me the last time she came back, and I've been saving them…"

She pulled out a box and set it in the middle of the room. She checked out the windows very quickly, then slide open the top and displayed the objects on the floor.

Shun stared at each of them separately. Then he said, rather weakly. "What…is it?"

Meilu's grin spread out almost evilly. "It's make-up. What does it look like?"

Well, there was no doubt about that. Shun recognized quite a lot of it from Saori's dresser-table: nail polish, lipstick, base, powder, eye shadow…But, oh gods, he'd so hoped it wouldn't come to that…

"I can't make it _too_ obvious, or we'll both be in trouble." Meilu muttered, picking up a thing of face powder and dabbing the puff in it. "But I should be able to change your looks _just_ enough that they won't recognize you…"

"Great…" Shun groaned as she started on her experiments. "This is just my luck…"

****

. . . . . .

The sun hard barely risen the next day when Marin and Shaina arrived by boat. Neither was too happy about having to travel with the other, but at the same time, they seamed glad to be on the island.

There was a large, banquet-style breakfast planned to greet their arrival, which all the Amazons were required to attend. All of them.

Luckily, about twenty minutes beforehand, Meilu finished Shun's 'make-over'.

A base powder darkened his skin just a bit, down the neck and over the shoulders, even a light coating on his arms and legs to make it all match. A very pale rose-colored lipstick made his lips look larger and fuller than any man's could have been. His eyebrows, covered by the powder, had been re-drawn thinner and higher, and his hair was pulled back higher than he'd ever worn it.

These changes, added in with a slight re-adjustment of the outfit he wore and extra stuffing in the bra, made him look less like a young girl and more like a full-grown young woman.

"Are you sure the others aren't going to notice?" he hissed to Meilu as the sat down at the low, long table.

"With any luck, no." she hissed back. "And lower your shoulders a bit more. You look way too tense."

Shun shifted and willed himself to relax, but it wasn't easy. For some reason, maybe just to tempt faint, Meilu had chosen two of the seats closest to the end of the table where Hippolyta, Marin and Shaina were sitting. To add to it, the woman saints had removed their masks to eat, and he remembered all too well what June had threatened him with if he ever tried to peak at her face. And she liked him!

"Excellent, as always, Hippolyta." Shaina declared after the first course had been finished and the second was served.

"Indeed." Marin agreed, much more quietly. "Your girls certainly know how to show their respect."

A satisfied grin spread over Hippolyta's face, but she responded with a humble bow. "Thank you. As you know, we do take pride in our extensive training program…"

"It's much better than anything the _men_ back in Sanctuary could come up with." Shaina snickered disdainfully. "You wouldn't _believe_ the junk they put us up to. And they can't even handle those five little Bronze Saint brats!"

Shun coughed into his drink, quickly grabbing a napkin and dabbing his face with it before the make-up could run. Meilu elbowed him in the side, but none of the three talking had noticed.

"Oh, still having problems with them, are you?" Hippolyta asked airily. "I thought they'd been taken care of weeks ago."

"I wish." Shaina sighed, annoyed, and leaned back against the wall. "But those five little _traitors_ just won't die. If I'd been sent after them, they'd all be six feet under. Even that punk Seiya."

Shun lowered his head a bit, pretending to concentrate on his meal. "And it's not just him…" Shaina continued with a slight hiss. "But the rest of them too. Dragon, Cygnus, that turncoat Phoenix…Not to mention his wimp of a brother, Andromeda."

"Oh, are they really so bad?" Hippolyta seamed happy enough to hear the Sanctuary's gossip. Women were women, after all.

"Absolutely awful." Shaina shuddered. "Dragon's a half-way decent fighter, but he's so _noble_, it's ridiculous. And Cygnus might as well be a rubber duck with that goofy dance he's always doing during his attacks. Phoenix _used_ to be such a great fighter, but he's more of a cooked goose now. That twerp Andromeda is just pathetic, such a sentimental looser, but even _he _has to be more of a challenge than Seiya…"

"Marin, my dear, wasn't your pupil named Seiya?" Hippolyta asked coyly.

"It's the same one. An absolute disgrace, all of them…" Shaina continued on with her rant, but Marin looked like she wanted to drop the subject of her student before it got too far.

She turned, instead, to the two sitting on her right, which was Shun and Meilu. The green-haired 'girl' was still looking down at 'her' plate, picking at the food nonchalantly, biting 'her' lip against both annoyance at the insults and giggles at Shaina's accusations. The result made him look like 'she' was trying not to cry.

Marin reached over the table and picked his head up by the chin, making him look her in the eye. Meilu nearly choked on her bite of food, and Shun stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Marin asked, using a semi-concerned tone she must've used with trainees at Sanctuary. Her brown eyes narrowed at him critically. "You look a bit upset, girl. Is something bothering you?"

"N-No ma'am." Shun squeaked out, keeping his voice in check.

Hippolyta cleared her throat. "Andrea is our newest recruit. Only joined a few days ago." her voice was laced with fake-concern. "Perhaps she's having a hard time adjusting. Are you, dear?"

Meilu caught Shun's eye with an unspoken warning: _Say yes and die_.

Shun gulped and shook his head. "No, ma'am." Meilu signaled him to go on. "I-It's been a dream here. T-The training is very…very…"

"Fulfilling?" Hippolyta put in. That sounded good. Shun nodded in agreement. He wanted Marin to let go of his face now. She was getting just a little too close for comfort.

Marin studied him a moment, then let go. A mischievous grin spread across Hippolyta's face. "As a matter of fact…" the Mistress of the Amazons smirked. "Perhaps you would like a demostration of just how fulfilling our training can be…"

Which was how, five minutes later, Shun and Meilu found themselves out in front of the hardest obstacle course on the entire island. And not only was it the hardest course, it was also the most dangerous…as in, deadly dangerous.

First, there was a swinging rope ladder, which lead to a pair of ropes to slide across a very deep pool of water that seamed a bit too inky black for comfort. Then there was a wide jump to the bank, which you had to grab onto a rope swing to reach, a fast run through a hail of (REAL) spears, scurrying up a fifty-foot tall wooden wall, and swinging across a pit with some much too jagged rocks at the bottom of it.

Shun and Meilu both took in a collective gulp as they stood at the starting line. "Smooth move, genius." the duel-haired girl whispered.

"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Shun swallowed nervously.

"Just try not to loose your head." Meilu gulped. "Literally."

Hippolyta stood on a high platform, accompanied by Marin and Shaina, all three of who gazed down at them seriously. The Queen of the Amazons raised her hand. "Ready?" Shun really wanted to shake his head, but remained still. "GO!"

The two lunged forward, up the suspended rope ladder and across the swinging ropes, shimming sloth-style over the water. Meilu went first at the bank, across the rope swing, followed quickly by Shun, and they both dashed through the spears one-at-a-time, to decrease liabilities.

The wall wasn't any problem for someone with the minimal training of a high school gym class, the problem came with the pit directly after it. Meilu sprung across and finished easily, but Shun, somehow thrown off and disoriented, slipped his grip and fell.

_"Oh, DAMN!!" _he thought, trying to get a grip on the wall. _"No choice now…"_

The crowd of amazons gasped as the green-haired trainee started to fall. 'She' turned slightly in mid-air, so that her sandals brushed against the edge of the wall she was quickly reaching the bottom off. Seconds before hitting the top of the pit, she kicked off and…in a way no one was really able to satisfactorily explain in later conversation…leapt to the other side of the pit, where her partner was ready to keep her landing steady.

Meilu grabbed Shun's arm and hoisted him up to his feet, eyes wide in amazement. "What did you _do_?!" she hissed.

"Small burst…of cosmos…" the boy gasped, out of breath. "Just enough force… to get over…"

"Cosmos…?" It took a moment for that to register. "You _moron!!_ What if they recognized it?!"

"Well what was I supposed to do, get killed? I had to risk it."

Their conversation was cut off suddenly by the Queen herself, standing and applauding. "Well done!" she proclaimed. "Well done, both of you! Most splendid, most splendid indeed!"

Meilu bowed deeply. "Thank you, ma'am!" she said, almost like a private responding to their drill sergeant.

Shun responded in vaguely the same way, but a bit shakier and shallower. That, and he kept his eyes trained on the two messengers from Sanctuary, hoping to whatever god was up there that they didn't have a clue…

****

. . . . . .

Dusk.

Shun and Meilu headed back towards their little 'home' of sorts, both exhausted and profoundly relieved that the day was over…Meilu, because they'd been put through every meaning of the Amazon 'paces' within the past few hours, and Shun because the stupid make-up was starting to make his face itch.

As they passed around the last curve before reaching their hut, two hands suddenly shot out from among the rocks and grabbed the green-haired 'trainee' by the shoulder and covering his mouth, yanking him back.

"Shun!" Meilu exclaimed, then froze when she realized who it was.

Shun realized as well, looking up blankly at the now-masked face, framed by bright red hair. "M-Marin…?"

The masked fighter eyed him a moment. "What do you think you're doing here, Andromeda?" she asked unemotionally. "And dressed like that?"

Shun flushed a deep red. "It was Seiya's idea…"

"Seiya's?" she let go, letting him stand and face her.

"Yeah…" Shun shifted. He'd never really talked to Marin, but he'd seen her with Seiya before, so he could only think to trust her. "There were rumors…of a piece of the gold cloth here, but we're not sure where, so…"

"So they picked the most feminine of you and sent you to scope it out." Shun's blush deepened. "I see…That sounds like something Seiya would do."

For a moment, there was silence. Then the woman warrior spoke with a low, serious tone. "There is a piece of the Golden Armor here…I'm not sure where, but it is here. But here's a warning, for your own good: Be sure to get it and be out of here by next month. You won't make it through another 'examination' from Shaina."

Shun blinked uncomprehendingly, then nodded slightly. The woman smiled behind her mask and disappeared back into the darkness of the fading daylight.

**__**

TBC…

Ack…the ending sucked, but that's what you get when the author's got writer's block. Sucks, don't it? Well…I really need ideas for the exploring-the-maze thing next chapter, so if anyone's got anything, I'll be most happy to hear it!


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